This invention relates to the encoding of optical imaging data having general utility in pattern recognition systems and the like.
The use of bundles of optical fibers having optical transmitting paths of different signal delay lengths is generally well known as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,887,939, 4,079,246 and 128,759 to Hunt, Misek and Hunt et al., respectively. According to the Hunt patent, the geometry of the optical fiber bundles at the image receiving ends thereof is such as to enable determination of image sharpness by position edge encoding. According to the Misek patent, phase delays induced by optical fiber delay loops are associated with sections of an image of scattered light from a laser beam to obtain a superposition of light intensity from the beam. Superpositioning of signal amplitude of a spatially broad signal by use of multiple optical fiber delay lines in a signal filtering arrangement is disclosed in the Hunt et al. patent to detect such a signal originating from a particular direction.
Contrary to the foregoing purposes associated with the prior art use of optical fibers through which signal transmission paths of different delay lengths is established, it is an important object of the present invention to utilize the delay line technique to encode image information for high speed image and signal processing purposes.